Security seal



Jan. 13, 1970 P. F. LAl

SECURITY SEAL Filed Nov. 24, 1967 H w 9 m m mm L w IL: 3 H m w 4 7 D.

a 7 Wm M 2 a! M 4 3 O 2 l 6 2 70.

MJ/VU ATT'OR NE K.

United States Patent 3,489,449 SECURITY SEAL Pedro F. Lai, 3815 John Marshall Road, Apt. 2-B, Fayetteville, N.C. 28304 Filed Nov. 24, 1967, Ser. No. 685,437 Int. Cl. B65d 33/34; G09f 3/03 US. Cl. 292-317 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A security seal which interlocks in at least three steps or stages to prevent reopening without breaking.

This invention relates to security devices and more particularly to tamperproof interlocking seals which cannot be opened after they have locked.

In the past, various attempts have been made to produce a security or tamperproof seal which would interlock in such a manner that the same could not "be opened without leaving evidence of such opening. Many of these seals have single projections which interlock or engage grooves or slots. Some have additionally incorporated a double interlock means. Evan with these, means have been found to open the seals without destroying them, thus allowing the same to be placed back in apparent original locked condition. The relative ease with which these locks have been opened has caused losses from thefts due to the fact that guards and others are lulled into the false security of thinking that the sealed container, vehicle or area has not been entered while in fact the seal has been opened, goods removed and the seal relocked. The same disadvantages of the prior art devices have been encountered in seals used for security areas and containers which allow unauthorized personnel to obtain information without detection.

In recent years, the need for tamperproof security seals has greatly increased; however, the art has been relatively void of improvements, particularly incorporated secondary or backup security means togive the added protection needed.

After much research and study into the above mentioned problems and possible means of overcoming the same, the present invention was developed to give industry as well as governmental organizations a completely tamperproof security seal having not just one or two locking means but at least three distinct locking stages which progressively gives greater security as unauthorized persons tamper with the seal. Once locked, the only possible way of opening the seal is to break the same, thus elimihating false security.

It is an object, therefore, of the present invention to provide a security seal having at least three distinct locking stages available.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tamperproof type seal which locks progressively more secure as attempts are made to open the same.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a seal formed from a single blank produced from sheet type material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a security type seal which interlocks at least three times and cannot be opened without breaking.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and obvious from a study of the following description and the accompanying drawings which are merely illustrative of the present invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank which may be formed into the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

3,489,449 Patented Jan. 13, 1970 FIG. 2 is the folded housing portion of the seal in schematic form;

FIG. 3 is the seal shown in schematic form about to be initially locked;

FIG. 4 in schematic form shows the seal in initial locked position;

FIG. 5 discloses schematically the seal in secondary locked position;

FIG. 6 is a schematic of the seal in third locking stage;

FIG. 7 is a schematic of a housing having an additional or fourth locking stage;

FIG. 8 is a perspective of the seal in locked position disclosing a preferred embodiment of the housing structure; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged schematic of a housing having fifth and sixth locking stages.

With further reference to the drawings, a blank, indicated generally at 10, is so shaped from a piece of sheet metal or the like that it may be formed into a housing as indicated generally at 11 in FIG. 8. This housing is formed by bending the blank along lines 12 and 12' to form the housing top 13 and housing sides 14 and 14'. The lower portion of sides 14 and 14' are flared outwardly to approximately degrees along lines 15 and 15 to form flanges 16 and 16.

Folded inwardly along fold line 17 is inwardly projecting housing latch 18. An upwardly projecting housing latch 19 is formed from latch 18 by folding along fold line 20. An angularly extending housing tab 21 is formed in the upper portion of latch 19 by making a generally U-shaped cut 22 and folding along fold line 23.

When blank 10 is folded along fold line 24, the rear portion 25 of housing 11 is formed. With the blank folded along fold line 26, a bottom 27 to said housing is formed. To secure the outwardly projecting flanges 16 and 16' of housing side walls 14 and 14' to the housing bottom 27, outer edges 28 and 28 are rolled upwardly and inwardly approximately degrees along fold lines 29 and 29" to form an interlocking channel, particularly as disclosed in FIG. 8.

The end of the latch engaging strap or shackle 30 has an angularly extending tab 31 formed by cutting a generally U-shaped incision 32 and folding along fold line 33 thus forming an opening 34 in said shackle.

In actual use of the thusly formed shackle and housing as hereinabove described, the strap portion 30 is folded over and the end thereof placed adjacent the inwardly projecting housing latch 18 so that the shackle tab 31 is upwardly projecting, particularly as disclosed in FIG. 3.

To initially lock the security seal of the present invention, shackle 30 is pushed into engagement with inwardly projecting housing latch 18 until tab 31 is interior of the housing and adjacent upwardly projecting housing latch 19, particularly as disclosed in FIG. 4.

At this point if an attempt is made to pull the shackle 30 out of housing 11, or to further lock the seal, outward pressure may be applied to the tab end of strap 30 causing the opening 34 left by the folding of tab 31 to engage housing latches 18 and 20 since such latches are of a narrower width than said opening, particularly as noted in FIG. 1. As the outward pressure is continued, the tab end of shackle 30, with tab 31 in engagement with latch 20, will slide along such latch until it passes over the tab end thereof and into the area as defined between latches 18 and 20, particularly as disclosed in FIG. 5. Thus it can be seen that a secondary or double locking may be accomplished.

If an attempt is made to work the locks loose by moving strap or shackle 30 back and forth within housing 11, the inward pressure or movement on said shackle will cause the tab end thereof to move downwardly along the interior surface of inwardly projecting latch 18 to the junction of such latch and latch means 20. Any additional outward movement or pressure on strap 30 will cause tab 31 to enter into locking engagement with tab 21, particularly as discolsed in FIG. 6, thus engagingly securing, in a third or tri-lock, the end of shackle 30 and housing 11.

Utilizing the teaching of applicants invention, it is possible to add an additional fourth or even fifth or more locking stages by adding to the basic disclosure one or more additional housing latches as exemplified by the quadruple securing latch housing of FIG. 7. In other words, for each additional latch projection added to the interior of the latch housing, an additional latching step will be added thereto. I

It is obvious that the present invention has the advantage of providing three or more interlocking means in a security seal to foul even the craftiest of would-be openers While at the same time being simple to manufacture and inexpensive to purchase by the ultimate user thereof. The present invention has the additional advantage of providing a fool-proof security seal which cannot be released without breaking or cutting while at the same time locking additional times when attempts are made to open the same. The teaching of the present invention has even another advantage of allowing additional locking steps to be built into a seal should this be deemed necessary to further guarantee the tamper-proofness of such seal means.

The terms upper, lower, top, bottom, sides, end and so forth have been used herein merely for convenience in the foregoing specification and in the appended claims to describe the security seal and its parts as oriented in the drawings. It is to be understood, however, that these terms are in no way limiting to the invention since the seal may obviously be disposed in many different positions when it is used.

The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respect as illustrative and all changes coming within th meaning and equivalency range are intended to be embraced herein.

What is claimed is:

1. In a locking type seal having a housing open at one end, the improvement comprising: a first locking member of a width less than the width of the opening within said housing attached to and yieldingly projecting from a point adjacent the threshold of said opening into the interior of said housing to a point adjacent to the side of said housing opposite the side of said point; a second locking member attached to and yieldingly pro jecting at an acute angle from the unattached inward end of said first member to a point adjacent the side of said first mentioned point; a third locking member attached to and projecting at an acute angle from the end of said second locking member opposite said first member to a point adjacent said first member; an elongated shackle narrower than the width of the opening within said housing fixedly secured at one end to said housing and having an opening in its opposite end of a width adequate to receive said first, second and third locking members; and a tab means secured adjacent the side of said shackle opening away from the housing and projecting from said shackle at an acute angle whereby as the end of said shackle opposite said housing is looped over and pushed into the opening of said housing beneath the first yieldable locking member, said seal will become locked with said second and third locking members becoming engaged as the tab end of the shackle is moved longitudinally within said housing.

2. The seal of claim 1 wherein the third locking member is a tab formed in the unsecured end of said second locking member.

3. The seal of claim 1 wherein the housing locking members and shackle are all formed from a blank cut from sheet type material.

4. The locking device of claim 1 including a fourth locking member projecting from the end of said third locking member opposite said second member at an acute angle to a point juxtaposed said second member whereby the tab end of said shackle may b additionally engaged.

5. The seal of claim 4 wherein said fourth locking member is a tab formed in the unsecured end of said third locking member.

6. The seal device of claim 4 including a fifth locking member projecting from the end of said fourth locking member opposite said third locking member at an acute angle to a point juxtaposed said third member whereby an additional securing step may be provided.

7. The seal of claim 6 wherein the fifth locking member is a tab formed in the free end of said fourth locking member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 687,805 12/1901 Wilcox 292-321 799,086 9/1905 Pleins 292--317 1,045,672 11/1912 Busse 292-322. 1,497,993 6/1924 Smart 292-317 RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner E. I. MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiner 

